title: Knowledge, attitudes, and poultry-handling practices of poultry workers in relation to avian influenza in India.
abstract: Avian influenza (AI) is a viral disease of domestic and wild birds. The recent pandemics caused by highly pathogenic AIA (H5N1) in domestic poultry is currently rated phase 3 by the World Health Organization on the pandemicalert scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pretested and semistructured survey instrument was administered to both live bird market and poultry farm workers in two most populous cities in Karnataka in South India to collect data on demographics, knowledge, attitude, and practices among them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was similar among both population groups (31.5 years). There was a higher level of biosecurity practices adopted in poultry farms compared with those adopted in live bird market. Knowledge regarding AI was acceptable but poorly correlated with actual biosecurity practices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Live bird market and poultry farm workers have been identified as the weakest link in the prevention and control of the spread of AI in the two most populous cities studied in Karnataka.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Risk reduction models of behavior change targeting these groups are important toward the control and prevention of AI spread.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
authors.forename: Sudhir C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Naveen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ramesh
authors.forename: Srinand
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sreevatsan
authors.forename: Bobby
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: Prashanth
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alle
authors.forename: Kumar G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Belani
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Osterholm
keywords: Avian influenza; India; poultry workers